University of St. Thomas Athletics
Saturday, October 19
Valparaiso, Ind.
1:00 p.m. CT
at
Valparaiso
Photo by: Abby Bondi
Tommies look for third straight "W" at Valpo
10/16/2024 9:31:00 AM | Football
St. Thomas hopes for third straight 3-0 start in PFL play
ST. PAUL, MINN. – The University of St. Thomas football team is off to a rip-roaring start in Pioneer Football League (PFL) play. The Tommies are 2-0 through their firs two conference games of 2024 and look to go 3-0 for the third consecutive season this Saturday. St. Thomas' opponent: none other than the Valparaiso Beacons, who will play host to the Tommies on Saturday, October 19.
Kickoff is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. CT in Valparaiso, Indiana and tickets can be purchased at valpoathletics.com. The game will also steam on ESPN+. Subscriptions start at $10.99/month for just ESPN, with the price set to increase on October 17, 2024. Additionally, fans can list to the game on 1500 ESPN and through the Varsity Network App. Live stats will also be available on Valpo's athletic website.
LAST TIME OUT: The trip out east treated St. Thomas well, as the Tommies left New York with a 39-32 win over Marist last weekend. Sophomore quarterback Tak Tateoka accounted for four touchdowns as the St. Thomas offense ignited in a thrilling victory next to the Hudson River. The Tommies took an early 15-0 lead in the first quarter before finding the game tied 18-18 going into the locker room at half time. Fortunately, St. Thomas outscored the Red Foxes 21-14 in the second half and left New York with the team's second PFL victory this season.
THE OPPOSITION: The Tommies will face a well-rested Valparaiso team this week, as the Beacons game at Stetson was postponed due to Hurricane Milton. Due to the unexpected weekend off, Valpo enters Saturday's contest with a 2-4 record and a 0-2 record in PFL play. The Beacons opened their season with losses to Northern Iowa and Youngstown State before rattling off two straight wins against Indiana Wesleyan and Roosevelt. Since then, though, Valpo's offense has stuttered, scoring just eight combined points in losses to Morehead State and Drake to open PFL play.
"TAK"ING IT ON: St. Thomas' offense showed life in its 39-32 win over Marist last week thanks in large part to the play of quarterback Tak Tateoka. After battling for the starting spot for most of nonconference play, the sophomore piloted the Tommies to an impressive victory, accounting for four of St. Thomas' five touchdowns in the victory. Additionally, the sophomore threw for 122 yards and two rushing touchdowns, and completed 16 of his 21 pass attempts in the win, highs for any Tommie QB this season.
WEEKLY AWARDS: Tateoka was so impressive on Saturday, he garnered the PFL Offensive Player of the Week honor for the first time in his Tommie career. Joining him was first year kicker Ben Hoiland, who was the conference's nominee for the National Freshman of the Week honor.
KICKIN' IT: First year kicker Ben Hoiland had a huge day for St. Thomas in the win over Marist last weekend. In just his second game for the Purple, Hoiland accounted for seven of the Tommies 39 points, going 4-4 in PATs and 1-1 on field goal attempts. His 45-yard field goal in the closing seconds of the second quarter not only tied the game but was also a career-long for Hoiland, who connected on a 40-yard field goal against Stetson on October 5.
DRIVIN' IN THE FAST LANE: Entering Saturday's game, the St. Thomas offense mustered just nine total 4:00+ offensive drives in its previous five games, four of which came against UNI. In Saturday's win over Marist, the Tommies won TOP, thanks in large part to four 4:00+ minute drives against the Red Foxes. Additionally, in the third quarter alone, St. Thomas had the ball for nearly 12 whole minutes, amassing 137 yards of total offense in the quarter.
SEEING RED: The Tommies were seeing red on Saturday, and not just because they were taking on Marist. For the first time in 2024, St. Thomas was perfect on its red zone chances, going 4-4 and scoring a season-high 39 points in the victory. The Tommies were also 4-4 on PATs and 1-1 on two point conversions. By comparison, the Red Foxes went 0-3 on PATs and were just 1-2 on two point conversion attempts, both of which played huge rolls in St. Thomas' victory on Saturday.
160 AND IT FEELS SO GOOD: Head Coach Glenn Caruso won his 160th game against Marist on Saturday, cementing his legacy as one of the winningest coaches in college football. Caruso needed just 203 games to reach 160 wins and owns a career winning percentage of .788. By comparison, the current coach with the most wins at the FCS level, Monmouth's Kevin Callahan, owns a career winning percentage of .561 and UNI's Mark Farley is currently 182-107 all-time with a career winning percentage of .630.
OH, HEY THERE PANTHERS: Both St. Thomas and Valparaiso faced Northern Iowa during their respective nonconference schedules. The Tommies actually led the Panthers for the majority of regulation, holding a 10-7 lead entering the fourth and final quarter of play. The Beacons, on the other hand, struggled mightily against UNI. While Valpo did score seven points against the Panthers, the Beacons were limited to just 29 rushing yards and 108 receiving yards in the loss, as UNI's stifled Valpo's offense.
HAPPY 120th!: Thursday, August 29 kicked off the 120th season of Tommie football, according to available records. St. Thomas played its first intercollegiate football game in 1904 and won its first Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) title in 1922. Since then, the Tommies have won 22 total conference titles, including their first Pioneer Football League (PFL) title in 2022.
TOUCHDOWN TOMMIES!: The PFL schedule seemingly inspired something in St. Thomas' scoring efforts. The Tommies scored just 36 points on six touchdowns through the first four games of 2024, all of which came in the first three games of the season. In the team's first two conferences game, St. Thomas has doubled its touchdown total, scoring nine against Stetson and Marist. The Tommies offense accounted for all 39 of the team's points against the Red Foxes, as Marist managed to hold both the red hot scoring defense and special teams units at bay on Saturday.
ROAD WOES?: It's no secret St. Thomas is nearly unbeatable at O'Shaughnessy Stadium. The Tommies won 42 consecutive regular season games on their home field before Sioux Falls ended the streak earlier this season. St. Thomas, and head coach Glenn Caruso, are almost as dominant on the road. In 17 seasons, Caruso has compiled a record of 61-21 on the road, including a 50-13 mark in Division III play. Since making the leap to Division I, though, the Tommies are 11-8 in road contests and 1-1 this year.
Kickoff is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. CT in Valparaiso, Indiana and tickets can be purchased at valpoathletics.com. The game will also steam on ESPN+. Subscriptions start at $10.99/month for just ESPN, with the price set to increase on October 17, 2024. Additionally, fans can list to the game on 1500 ESPN and through the Varsity Network App. Live stats will also be available on Valpo's athletic website.
LAST TIME OUT: The trip out east treated St. Thomas well, as the Tommies left New York with a 39-32 win over Marist last weekend. Sophomore quarterback Tak Tateoka accounted for four touchdowns as the St. Thomas offense ignited in a thrilling victory next to the Hudson River. The Tommies took an early 15-0 lead in the first quarter before finding the game tied 18-18 going into the locker room at half time. Fortunately, St. Thomas outscored the Red Foxes 21-14 in the second half and left New York with the team's second PFL victory this season.
THE OPPOSITION: The Tommies will face a well-rested Valparaiso team this week, as the Beacons game at Stetson was postponed due to Hurricane Milton. Due to the unexpected weekend off, Valpo enters Saturday's contest with a 2-4 record and a 0-2 record in PFL play. The Beacons opened their season with losses to Northern Iowa and Youngstown State before rattling off two straight wins against Indiana Wesleyan and Roosevelt. Since then, though, Valpo's offense has stuttered, scoring just eight combined points in losses to Morehead State and Drake to open PFL play.
"TAK"ING IT ON: St. Thomas' offense showed life in its 39-32 win over Marist last week thanks in large part to the play of quarterback Tak Tateoka. After battling for the starting spot for most of nonconference play, the sophomore piloted the Tommies to an impressive victory, accounting for four of St. Thomas' five touchdowns in the victory. Additionally, the sophomore threw for 122 yards and two rushing touchdowns, and completed 16 of his 21 pass attempts in the win, highs for any Tommie QB this season.
WEEKLY AWARDS: Tateoka was so impressive on Saturday, he garnered the PFL Offensive Player of the Week honor for the first time in his Tommie career. Joining him was first year kicker Ben Hoiland, who was the conference's nominee for the National Freshman of the Week honor.
KICKIN' IT: First year kicker Ben Hoiland had a huge day for St. Thomas in the win over Marist last weekend. In just his second game for the Purple, Hoiland accounted for seven of the Tommies 39 points, going 4-4 in PATs and 1-1 on field goal attempts. His 45-yard field goal in the closing seconds of the second quarter not only tied the game but was also a career-long for Hoiland, who connected on a 40-yard field goal against Stetson on October 5.
DRIVIN' IN THE FAST LANE: Entering Saturday's game, the St. Thomas offense mustered just nine total 4:00+ offensive drives in its previous five games, four of which came against UNI. In Saturday's win over Marist, the Tommies won TOP, thanks in large part to four 4:00+ minute drives against the Red Foxes. Additionally, in the third quarter alone, St. Thomas had the ball for nearly 12 whole minutes, amassing 137 yards of total offense in the quarter.
SEEING RED: The Tommies were seeing red on Saturday, and not just because they were taking on Marist. For the first time in 2024, St. Thomas was perfect on its red zone chances, going 4-4 and scoring a season-high 39 points in the victory. The Tommies were also 4-4 on PATs and 1-1 on two point conversions. By comparison, the Red Foxes went 0-3 on PATs and were just 1-2 on two point conversion attempts, both of which played huge rolls in St. Thomas' victory on Saturday.
160 AND IT FEELS SO GOOD: Head Coach Glenn Caruso won his 160th game against Marist on Saturday, cementing his legacy as one of the winningest coaches in college football. Caruso needed just 203 games to reach 160 wins and owns a career winning percentage of .788. By comparison, the current coach with the most wins at the FCS level, Monmouth's Kevin Callahan, owns a career winning percentage of .561 and UNI's Mark Farley is currently 182-107 all-time with a career winning percentage of .630.
OH, HEY THERE PANTHERS: Both St. Thomas and Valparaiso faced Northern Iowa during their respective nonconference schedules. The Tommies actually led the Panthers for the majority of regulation, holding a 10-7 lead entering the fourth and final quarter of play. The Beacons, on the other hand, struggled mightily against UNI. While Valpo did score seven points against the Panthers, the Beacons were limited to just 29 rushing yards and 108 receiving yards in the loss, as UNI's stifled Valpo's offense.
HAPPY 120th!: Thursday, August 29 kicked off the 120th season of Tommie football, according to available records. St. Thomas played its first intercollegiate football game in 1904 and won its first Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) title in 1922. Since then, the Tommies have won 22 total conference titles, including their first Pioneer Football League (PFL) title in 2022.
TOUCHDOWN TOMMIES!: The PFL schedule seemingly inspired something in St. Thomas' scoring efforts. The Tommies scored just 36 points on six touchdowns through the first four games of 2024, all of which came in the first three games of the season. In the team's first two conferences game, St. Thomas has doubled its touchdown total, scoring nine against Stetson and Marist. The Tommies offense accounted for all 39 of the team's points against the Red Foxes, as Marist managed to hold both the red hot scoring defense and special teams units at bay on Saturday.
ROAD WOES?: It's no secret St. Thomas is nearly unbeatable at O'Shaughnessy Stadium. The Tommies won 42 consecutive regular season games on their home field before Sioux Falls ended the streak earlier this season. St. Thomas, and head coach Glenn Caruso, are almost as dominant on the road. In 17 seasons, Caruso has compiled a record of 61-21 on the road, including a 50-13 mark in Division III play. Since making the leap to Division I, though, the Tommies are 11-8 in road contests and 1-1 this year.
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